Archbishop of Canterbury backs Afghan attacks
The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed the military action in Afghanistan, saying the strikes should not be seen as a religious war but as an ‘‘issue of justice’’.
Dr George Carey said yesterday at the end of a three-day visit to Bahrain, that Christians and Muslims regarded the September 11 attacks as ‘‘terrible, atrocious acts of violence’’.
He stressed that Christians and Muslims must find a way to live together in harmony or face a bleak future.
He said: ‘‘If we fall into that trap of making it appear to be a religious war, this will end up with further innocent lives being lost.
‘‘It is quite important we find ways in which those who have committed such crimes are brought to justice,’’ he said, referring to the terrorists responsible.
Dr Carey had earlier addressed about 200 people, mostly foreigners, at a cultural centre devoted to manuscripts of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and Islamic artifacts.
He also held talks with Bahrain’s leader, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in which they discussed the conflict in Afghanistan.
Dr Carey said he hoped the US-British attacks in Afghanistan would be ‘‘targeted and as brief as possible’’.
His speech was warmly applauded, but some members of the audience were critical.
‘‘You want to do injustice to bring justice?’’ Islamic educationist Ishaq Koohegi said. ‘‘This is absolutely unbelievable when it is coming from such a high-ranking Christian religious leader.
‘‘He speaks like a politician and approves of what is going on and what is hurting Islam and Muslims,’’ added Koohegi, who runs Discover Islam, a Bahraini group that offers courses in Muslim education.
Dr Carey condemned the massacre of members of the congregation and a guard at St Dominic’s Church in Bahawalpur, Pakistan by gunmen last Sunday.
He said: ‘‘The murder of people simply because they belong to a different religion from that of the majority is a shocking crime against a minority faith.’’
But he said that he knew that the majority of Muslims also condemned the act and called on them to speak out for minority Christians.
Dr Carey said: ‘‘From Indonesia, through to Pakistan, northern Nigeria, Sudan and elsewhere Christians are more vulnerable than they have perhaps ever been. Their faith is precious to them but so is their country.
‘‘They need their Muslim brothers and sisters to speak up for them and, when extremists threaten, they need support and friendship.’’
He spoke of the common elements in the two faiths.
‘‘Alongside our shared humanity, spiritual quest and capacity for friendship I would also place our common longings for peace, acceptance and love.’’
Dr Carey said it was wrong to equate Islam with some of the policies seen recently in Afghanistan, including the repressive measures against women.
‘‘But because faith gets mixed up with other ideological and political influences, religious understanding and perception becomes distorted.
‘‘We must challenge these distortions and never settle for simplistic cultural or religious stereotypes.
He admitted that some Christians had concerns about words like ‘‘Jihad’’ and theologies which lead young Muslims to kill others as well as themselves with the promise of paradise.
But Dr Carey also said there were undoubtedly Christian zealots who troubled Muslims.
He said the answer was open dialogue between the faiths, however difficult that might seem.
‘‘Christians and Muslims, whether we like it or not, are on a journey together and we live in a world where different faiths jostle side by side.’’
